1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a metering device contained in an accounting device, a communicating apparatus, and a communication system which are suitable for use in a multimedia network or the like in which information such as motion image data, still image data, audio data, computer data, computer program, and the like is transmitted.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, in association with the disposition of an optical fiber network in an arterial communication network, spread of a cable television system, practical use of a satellite communication, spread of a local area network, and the like, there is increasing what is called an information service industry such that an information provider provides various information to the user by using such a communication network and collects a charge in accordance with the contents and amount of information provided. In such a service, it is important to properly account to the user for the information provided to the user.
However, actually, protection of information is not perfect, and illegal use of a program or video image (including audio) information is a problem. Hitherto, in order to prevent the illegal use, there has been used a method such that a copy preventing function is added, according to which a hardware machine number added to a computer or the like is used and a software machine number corresponding to the hardware machine number is allocated to the software itself, and those two machine numbers are collated at the time of executing the program, or the like. However, the copy preventing function is inconvenient at the time of a backup or the like, and the machine number collation is inconvenient with respect to a machine number management or a sale, so that they are not practicable.
As for the above problems, a concept called xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d which intends to protect the rights of a person having rights in (hereinbelow, referred to as an information provider) has been proposed by Ryoichi Mori and has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 60-77218, 60-191322, 64-68835, 2-44447, 4-64129, and the like. FIG. 19 shows a conceptual diagram of the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-64129. In an information provider P, a permission for or an inhibition of a use of software PPi (or PPj) as provided information formed by himself is discriminated in a CHECK unit on the basis of its software peculiar data PIDi (or PIDj) and a condition of each USERID of a user""s terminal station. When the software can be used, a use career of the providing information is recorded into an SH unit and the information provider P demands a use charge of the providing information or the like on the basis of the career. SSU denotes a software service unit including the above means.
However, there are the following problems in the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d.
(1) In the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d, whether the user is a person permitted by the information provider or not is Judged by user peculiar data such as USERID. Therefore, in order to realize the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d, at least storing means for the user peculiar data is needed. In such a system, it is necessary for the user to previously make an application to the information provider for use of information, get his own USERID or the like, and register the USERID as user peculiar data. A procedure to make an application for use or a management of many various user peculiar data such as USERIDs is troublesome.
(2) To prevent the illegal use of information or to allow the information provider to grasp a use situation of his own providing information, the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d has use software career storing means in order to realize the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d and the information provider needs to carry out a request of a charge to the user or the like on the basis of the career. In the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d, since information is not sold but is treated in a rental manner, the use career is needed. According to such a system, a user""s privacy such that which information the user used cannot be protected.
(3) Although the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d is means and system for accurately grasping the use situation of the providing information, namely, for correctly grasping the use charge, means or system regarding a payment of the charge is not included. In the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d, therefore, after the information provider knew the use situation of the providing information, it is necessary to demand and collect the charge by another means.
(4) In the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d, the information provider can execute the accounting operation regarding the use of his own providing information by the software peculiar data. When the providing information is information such as a computer program which the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d initially aimed to develop in which although a capacity is small, the use of it is valuable, it is sufficient. However, in case of information of a large capacity such as a real-time motion image or the like which is regarded as a main target to be treated in the recent multimedia, in a manner similar to the charge for use, a charge for transmission also occupies a large weight. However, the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d doesn""t correspond to the accounting regarding a charge for use of a line in the network or a charge for use of a CPU or a terminal station of the multimedia. Therefore, a system can also carry out the accounting for providers such as transmission path provider and terminal station provider regarding the multimedia network other than the information provider is needed.
(5) In the xe2x80x9csuper distributionxe2x80x9d, a system which enables a terminal station to be properly used in consideration of various factors exerting influences on loads of the line and terminal station is not constructed yet.
The invention is made in consideration of the foregoing problems (1) to (5) and it is an object of the invention to solve one or more of the above-mentioned problems.
Under the above object, according to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a checking device included in an accounting device which is used for the user to use information from an information provider. The checking device comprises means for obtaining from the information provider, information sought by the user, to which are added first data, regarding contents of the information sought by the user, and second data, which has two kinds of data, one kind being concerned with the information sought by the user and the other kind not being concerned with the information sought by the user. The checking device also has means for inputting third data indicative of money information, and means for checking a permission and an inhibition of the use of the provided information sought by said user according to the first data, the second data and the third data and generating a signal representing a result of checking.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is also provided a communicating apparatus which by a user in order to use information from an information provider, comprising means for obtaining from the information provider, the information sought by the user, to which are added first data, regarding contents of the information sought by the user, and second data, which has two kinds of data, one kind being concerned with the information sought by the user and the other kind not being concerned with the information sought by the user. The apparatus also has means for inputting third data indicative of money information, and checking means for checking a permission and an inhibition of the use of the information sought by the user according to the first data, the second data and the third data and generating a signal representing a result of checking.
According to still another embodiment of the invention, there is also provided a communication system comprising a communicating apparatus for an information provider for providing information and a communicating apparatus for a user which is used for the user to use the information sought by the user. These communicating apparatus are connected to a common network, and the communicating apparatus for the user includes (1) means for obtaining from the information provider, the information sought by the user, to which are added first data, regarding contents of the information sought by the user, and second data, which has two kinds of data, one kind being concerned with the information sought by the user and the other kind not being concerned with the information sought by the user (2) means for inputting third data indicative of money information, and (3) checking means for checking a permission and an inhibition of the use of the information sought by the user according to the first data, the second data and the third data and generating a signal representing a result of checking.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.